PM represents the antithesis of hunger: Portions tend toward the gargantuan, as evidenced by the big fat square of Alaskan black cod served with a sprinkling of hazelnut crumbs, fried capers, and a light lemon-butter sauce. The sweet, semitranslucent flakes of this fish are naturally moist and luscious, so the accompaniments are aptly delicate (nonsteak entrées run $18 to $50).

Souffléd potatoes are a house specialty. Making a classic pommes soufflé involves paring potatoes into neat rectangles, slicing the rectangles into thin slices on a mandolin, blanching the slices in 325-degree oil, frying a second time in 375-degree oil, and salting and serving the potatoes immediately. The desired result is crystalline-crisp pillows of potato puffed by steam — dainty, refined, special. Those three words should never be used in the same sentence as PM's soft, lukewarm, unevenly shaped potato puffs. Our waiter plugged the Provençale version (which also comes with cream cheese) and seemed mildly distraught that we wanted the plain variety. In retrospect, I understand why.

For dessert, chocolate "soufflé" brings a well-executed version of the flourless chocolate lava cake created by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and imitated so many times since. Diners can also cap dinner in Buenos Aires fashion via a Pavlova of meringue garnished with fresh fruits and white chocolate shavings.

Details

Our waiter was a pro, and we were taken care of in competent fashion. There were, however, too many mistakes: Dishes never arrived, meats were served at the wrong temperatures, and we were overcharged for items. Plus there's a real problem with getting food and drinks to diners in a timely manner. I'm not sure if more personnel are needed in the kitchen and dining room or just faster personnel, but there is far too much waiting around; sometimes it feels as though you won't get served at PM until the a.m.

Speaking of getting overbilled: When we received our check, it included a $37 charge for our $27 skirt steak. It turns out prices had been hiked, but the menu we were given didn't reflect the changes. Emails from management concerning pricing suggested it was still being worked out; an employee told me over the phone that the skirt steak was $28 and that prices hadn't been raised as far as she knew.

Our tab that evening was adjusted to $27, but that's not really fixing things. The overall high pricing puts the restaurant in league with the finest steak houses in town. PM is gorgeous and offers formal-style service and upscale cuisine, but it can afford comparisons to Miami's best steak houses the same way working-class diners can afford $40 steaks.